Getting That Booty Right: Four Tips for Better Glutes

The bottom is the bottom line for many fitness enthusiasts who are hitting the gym to build a firmer, toner tush. Building a better butt can be one of the biggest challenges in fitness, as finding the right combination of exercise and healthy eating can be tough. However, with the right workout, you can quickly see results in the rear view.

When working on firming up your back side, the set of muscles you’ll be working on are the glutes, or gluteal muscles as they’re more formally called. The glutes are a set of three muscles in the buttocks, including the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. Believe it or not, these muscles do quite a bit of work helping to facilitate movement of the hip joint and supporting the extended knee.

If you’re looking to build up your glutes, consider these exercises:

Squats – Obviously, the squat is going to be one of the most helpful exercises for toning up your back side. To properly perform a squat, stand with your feet slightly further apart than your hips. Point your toes outward by just a little bit. Next, extend your arms forward, and then push your backside backward. Be sure to start by moving your hips back before bending your knees to perform a proper squat. Try to squat down until your hips are level or lower than your knees.

Glute bridge – To perform this exercise, sit on the floor and press your upper back against a bench. Bend your knees and keep your feet level on the ground in front of you as you squeeze your gluteal muscles to raise your pelvis off the ground. Keep raising your pelvis until you form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees and hips. The key to making this exercise work is to exclusively use your gluteal muscles.

Step-up – One of the easiest and most effective exercises to build up your butt, the step up is a staple of many exercise routines. To do step-ups, put one foot on a step or crate and place your weight on the center of your foot. Then step straight up, while squeezing the glute of the leg on the step or crate when you reach the top of the movement.

Barbell hip thrust – For a deep gluteal burn, try the barbell hip thrust. Put your upper back against a box or bench and keep your knees bent with your feet flat on the ground. Next, place a padded, loaded barbell on your lap. Then, lift your hips using your glutes until they’re in line with your body, which will now lay flat across the bench or box.

With these exercises, a healthy diet, and the advice of your trainer, you’ll soon be on your way to a better-looking backside.